Education and demonstration – Visual art or craft – artistic adornment – or color training...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-26
2001-08-14
Nguyen, Kien T. (Department: 3712)
Education and demonstration
Visual art or craft, artistic adornment, or color training...
C434S156000, C434S188000, C434S276000, C434S154000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273725
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to stages, scenery, curtains, back-drops and decor for theatre productions, particularly for children's theatre productions of fairy-tales and the like, but also for use in a teaching and educational process.
2. Background Art
State-mandated learning standards, at all grade levels, are being established in core subject areas to set clear performance objectives for student achievement. Measuring student progress against these standards is becoming a priority for school districts around the nation.
Educators, researchers and students agree that the most powerful type of learning takes place when multiple senses, not only seeing or hearing but also saying and doing, are involved. A growing body of research is finding that the development of higher thinking order skills, such as critical and creative thinking, is measurably enhanced when lessons are delivered through the arts. Albert Einstein reported decades ago that playing the violin stimulated his ability to construct complex mathematical theories, bolstering the recent findings of research.
Previously, plays and fairy-tales were performed for children, the scenery, with curtains and back-drops, being made by hand for each occasion and each production. No ready-made stands were normally available for the scenery at nursery or comprehensive schools, etc., and it was difficult to dismantle the scenery and move it to another place. Simple theatre productions of children's plays should allow for three changes of back-drop, preferably taking place behind closed curtains. There should also be spaces hidden from the public, for assistants, actors with costume changes, prompters, etc. Such relatively simple scenery is time-consuming and resource-demanding to produce with conventional props and normal work methods.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a process for teaching students multiple curriculum subjects through the use of a theatrical production and accompanying lesson plans.
Another object of the invention is to provide a scenery arrangement that is easy to assemble and dismantle and can easily be transported and stored and used with uniform curtains and a uniform set of back-drops for the same performance.
Yet another object is also to facilitate theatre productions and plays for children by means of the mobile scenery arrangement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for teaching students multiple curriculum subjects through the use of a theatrical production. This is accomplished by selecting a play created for student performance. The play should be adapted to the grade level of the students participating. Student lesson plans are provided, including worksheets in multiple curriculum subjects. These subjects include at least two of the following: language arts, math, science, health, and history. The worksheets are preferably completed before the performance of the play.
The students are assigned roles in the play. These roles may be speaking roles wherein the roles comprise parts of characters in the play. Alternatively, the roles are non-speaking and include stage crew, backdrop crew, sound crew, and/or props crew.
Sound recordings are provided which pertain to the play. These sound recording typically include a soundtrack of the script of the play which acts as an aid in teaching the students the roles of the play. The sound recordings can also include sound effects and audio bites for use during the performance of the play.
Templates are provided for creating backdrops and props for the play. A portable stage is erected within a classroom environment and used in performing the play. The mobile scenery arrangement, is assembled from connectable rod sections preferably having a length of 1 m. This basic concept allows scenery arrangements of varying sizes to be built in intervals of 1 m. The height is usually 2 m, the width 5 m and the depth 2 m.
The rod sections are also secured in corner members in order to construct a box-like tubular construction forming a substantially vertical left side and a substantially vertical right side, the left and right sides being joined to at least one upper front curtain rod and at least one upper rear back-drop rod, at least one of the ends of said rods being provided with a cord-tensioning device arranged to stretch a cord between the two ends of the rod, said cord being arranged to displaceably carry curtains or back-drop.
A stable tubular construction is thus obtained for curtains and back-drops to be attached on its curtain and back-drop rods. The taut cord at the upper front curtain rod is used to displaceably carry the curtain, while the taut cord of the upper rear back-drop rod is used to displaceably carry scenery back-drops.
A scenery arrangement according to the present invention is also suitable for packing into a suitable case in which each component has its place, for transport and storage.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
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Bernstein Patrik L. T.
Hammerstein Jeannette A.
Kelly Bauersfeld Lowry & Kelley LLP
Nguyen Kien T.
Spotlight Enterprises, Inc.
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